FIFA 12: Turning Defending Into an Art Form

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"You're now getting twice the game for your money," says FIFA producer David Rutter.

By Daniel Krupa

So far we've heard plenty about FIFA 12's three marquee features – the Player Impact Engine, Precision Dribbling, and Pro-Player Intelligence – and how they will make FIFA 12 a paradigm-prodding football game. But there's a more powerful revolution quietly fomenting: tactical defending. The mechanics of what you do without the ball have been entirely reworked in FIFA 12, and for anyone accustomed to recent FIFA games, it's very, very different.

"And we're proud of the fact that it's different," says FIFA 12 line producer David Rutter. "As it rebalances the game entirely."

The main reason for the overhaul? Well, user feedback; there was a growing consensus that "defenders were over-committing," says Rutter, "going forward too quickly, leaving too much space in behind."

This kamikaze style of defending was an unfortunate byproduct of the 'pressurise' mechanic popularised by recent iterations of the franchise. All you had to do to regain the ball was brainlessly hold down the appropriate button and the nearest defender would run heedlessly towards the player in possession, harrying them into making a mistake. It required little thought or skill on behalf of the user.

Although a popular mechanic, it fundamentally imbalanced the defensive portion of the game, triggering what Rutter described as a "cascade of problems". Not only would it make your back-line look like a child's doodle of the Himalayas but your opponent could rapidly create an overwhelming wave of pressure, from which it was extremely difficult to emerge unscathed.

Exit Theatre Mode

The significant changes to how you defend in FIFA 12 address this instability, putting defending back on par with attacking as a core part of the gameplay. While you still alert one of your players to a potential threat in the same way, they no longer hurtle recklessly out of position; they run out cautiously, dropping down into what Rutter terms a 'containment' stance. Basically, your players no longer over-commit, maintaining the shape of your back-line and making Tony Adams, wherever he is, a joyous man.

But the player won't necessarily win the ball from this position. And here's where the real tactical engagement comes in: just as when you're trying to craft a goal-scoring opportunity, you now have to think in order to regain possession. No more blind button bruising. For instance, if you're Ashley Cole (bear with me) and Nani is tearing up the left wing – as in real life – you'd ideally keep him on his weaker left foot by showing him inside. The new 'containment' stance adopted by players in FIFA 12 allows you do this with greater control.

Exit Theatre Mode

FIFA 12's new defending system challenges you to make the kind of judgement calls made by professional defenders all the time. In a split-second you must evaluate whether the reward of winning a tackle outweighs the risk of giving away a foul. "You now actually have to think about what you're doing," Rutter explains. "It's not just press the button, turn on the homing missile, and go get me the ball."

And while most would snicker and say 'so what', it really does have a deep impact upon the way a game of FIFA 12 unfolds. Firstly, "you're going to have to play the game when you don't have the ball," says Rutter. But more importantly, it slows the tempo of the game down but not in a bad way; "it gives people with the ball more time to explore the pitch, try out new things."

But how much of an adjustment is it for those who have spent hours growing accustomed to the 'pressurise' mechanic? "Ultimately there's a learning curve to it," explains Rutter, but the gradient is thankfully gentle. Although you'll initially find yourself shouting at players for not closing down the ball with the alacrity of a Tomahawk, you'll soon realise that the new 'containment' position, sensibly adopted by your players, ultimately allows you to have more input when defending.

You'll soon adjust to the new mechanic, and realise that it moves FIFA one more step closer to a faithful reproduction of how football actually plays, rather than a simulation skewed towards attacking. "It's like there's twice the game there now - one with the ball, one without the ball."

It's heartening to know that there's more to FIFA 12 than its banner features. Much more in fact. Details about the improved Career Mode have also been released, and there's plenty of new features to explore. But it's the level of detail that seems most impressive at first glance. Career mode will allow you, if you wish, to get involved in every aspect of the game – from hiring scouts to source young talent to selecting a squad in the light of a gloomy physio report.

This time round the transfer window has been realised with greater fidelity, too. Players can now choose to 'stall' on a negotiation, and are in general more aggressive and intelligent in their demands. But this level of detail isn't limited to static menu screens; it spills over into the commentary, creating an even greater sense of realism.

Often known simply as the beautiful game, football's appeal is sometimes hard to communicate to the uninitiated. It's the allure of a cold night in Grimsby when your team scrapes a 1-0 victory, just as it begins to rain and the smell fish and chips warmly perfumes the sea air. It's spilling a pint onto your crotch and not even noticing because that 30-yard free-kick curled improbably into the top corner. Yet the beauty espied in the bruising, thankless work carried out by defenders is harder to appreciate for most. But FIFA 12 might just change all that, with Rutter promising that it makes "defending much more of an art form".